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quite happily. Carson served us drinks--I will never forget-- Scotch and ginger ale. Awful! When we left, we rushed to a bar to get something more palatable.

To make matters worse, the house wasn't heated properly. We all went to dinner with our overcoats on. In the middle of the dinner--Auden was presiding--the door bell rang, and some fellow walked right into the dining room with his hat and coat on. Auden gave him a $20 bill. He fished in his pocket and gave him a $20 bill, and the fellow walked out. There was never any explanation of this episode. All the way home we were trying to figure out whether he was an international spy or what.

What a strange group that was!

Is Auden an easy author to publish?

Very. He trusts us. He gives us his poetry. He doesn't want to be edited. You don't edit a poet. Jason Epstein takes care of him.

How does he sell?

He sells much better than the ordinary poet. We've always made money on Auden's poems--not enough to support me in the style I'd like to be accustomed to--but Auden's one of the poets that do sell, moderately well.